


How To Land A Quad

by orphan_account



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-21
Updated: 2017-04-21
Packaged: 2018-10-13 18:31:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10519419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: There is one thing Leo and Guang Hong have in common when they first meet, and it's their lack of confidence.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [wingedcastielpie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wingedcastielpie/gifts).



> This is my assignment for the Shall We Skate Exchange!  
> The Original Prompt:  
> "purest of them all
> 
> like i dont see enough leoji fics these are my children
> 
> a) THEIR BACKSTORY. HOW DID THEY MEET???  
> b) i just want them making ends and all like how to they even manage to work on a long distance rela that thing is hard  
> c) them being cinnamon rolls
> 
> To be honest, I'm fine with whatever you guys do, just don't make it a sad ending."
> 
> I hope you enjoyed what I did with these pur buns! I've been wanting to write LeoJi for the LONGEST TIME and you gave me the perfect prompt because it asked for all the things I wanted to write!

 How To Land A Quad

 

by: chwangingwithkyuhyun

 

Notes:

1. There will be a few original characters. Their names will be similar to actual skaters from the countries they represent (i.e. the US and China)

2\. There is a flashback to the 2016 World Championships. In canon, they were held in Tokyo-Yoyogi. However, since I wanted to make it easier, I decided to change the location to where the actual competition was held in real life, in Boston.

3\. I may also reference actual happenings in irl figure skating. However, I will in no circumstance make a skater or an event overly similar to a real skater or a real event, or compare a skater too much to a real skater.

4\. The title barely has any relation to content and I am sorry. I'm just trying to make good titles.

 

 

* * *

 

_TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts_

_ISU World Championships 2016, Mens Free Programme_

 

Leo de la Iglesia wished he could redo his short programme again. He had only barely managed to land his only quad, which had been downgraded into a triple salchow. And from what his coach had said as she tried to comfort him, he hadn't been skating with the music at all. 

 

"That was so unlike you, Leo," his mother had said on the phone that night. "You can skate better than this, I've seen it before. At the Four Continents," she said sharply, in Spanish. And the worst part was that Leo knew he was much better than this. It was his second year in the senior division, and this year, Leo had become the national silver medalist. He'd placed in the top six at Four Continents, and now......he was in the third group, not the final group, heading into the free skate tonight.

 

Leo had never felt so nervous at a competition before. As the announcer called out his name and his country, Leo hesitated once, before gliding out into a sea of applause. Applause that he probably only deserved because his teammate that skated before him had fallen on almost everything in the first group.

 

He closes his eyes and tries to focus.

 

He doesn't remember how he lands his quadruple salchow, and the combination that follows. He only remembers the music whispering in his ear, the sweet sound of Michael Buble's voice guiding him through the programme and into his last combination spin. The standing ovation and the deafening cheers of the crowd -- his home audience -- give Leo the courage to stay upright, bow, and leave the ice in better spirits. 

 

His overall finish in fourth calms him, because this time, there were no downgrades or underrotations, but when Leo and his teammate ran into the skaters in Team Russia inside the restroom, the opponents hounded him right away.

 

Georgi Popovich is somewhat a sly person, from what his accented English suggests. "What the hell was that quad? You don't even use the proper entry. And your spins are weak. No life in them at all. Obviously you were tired out by your jumps when you were doing them."

 

Leo backs away, and tries to keep the conversation from going further into discord, when Viktor Nikiforov pats Georgi on the shoulder, whispers admonishingly in Russian to his teammate, and apologises to Leo.

 

"He didn't place in the top ten. He had a horrible free programme. I'm so sorry he has to say this to you. I'm sure next season you'll do much better overall. I'll see you at the banquet, no?" 

 

And then Viktor smiles his trademark heart smile, making Leo feel sick to his stomach.

 

"Mark," he says to his own teammate, "we're leaving. I'm gonna go find my coach."

 

\------------------------------

 

_Shanghai, China_

_One Month before ISU Grand Prix Assignments are released_

 

Ji Guang Hong can't stop crying.

 

His only mentor throughout his competitive skating career, Bin Cao, was retiring after Worlds, his age threatening his jumping ability. He had been the reason why Guang Hong started skating, moved from his dingy apartment in Shanghai to train at the capital, Beijing. Guang Hong was supposed to enjoy maybe one or two years with Cao as his teammate once he entered the senior division. Now, Guang Hong was, as his federation called it, "China's only ace" after the retirement of the Chinese skating sensation. And Guang Hong still had yet to land a quad toe loop properly.

 

What was worse was that not only would he never compete against his idol again, his idol was going to move out of the country, to help the Hong Kong Skating Union better their training programmes and athletes. It was for a good cause, Guang Hong knew, but now, training would never be the same. There wouldn't really be anyone other than his coach to help give him the morale he needed to keep pushing himself anymore.

 

He wondered what he'd have to go through during training now. He was sure the other juniors like him would be adding quads to their repertoire as they entered the senior division. He knew Yuri Plisetsky, the fifteen year old Russian he lost the Junior World title to, would have two, maybe three. 

 

But could he do it? It took months for Guang Hong to finish on-harness quad training. Could he land his quad toe without it in time for the senior Grand Prix?

 

\------------------------------

_Detroit Skating Club, Detroit, Michigan_

_Three days after Grand Prix Assignments come out_

 

"So you're going back to Thailand next week?" Leo asked, his face looking solemn.

 

"Yeah," Phichit Chulanont replied, dejectedly. "Nothing here is ever the same. I'm losing my motivational drive, you know? Yuuri used to keep me wanting to try and try again with my quads."

 

Leo nodded. Phichit had called him one night, a few weeks before Four Continents, to tell him that his best skater friend had suddenly left for Japan, with only a small note explaining how he needed to finish college and figure out his life. They both knew how hard Yuuri had taken his big loss at the Grand Prix Final. After all, they had competed against him before, and knew how good he really was under all the balls of anxiety he carried.

 

"I heard he's under the great Living Legend Viktor now, huh?" Leo muttered. "I wonder if he's even getting proper training."

 

"He actually called me a few days ago! Viktor wants him to find music for his free programme so that they can work on choreography, and they both want my music major friend to do another song for him."

 

"Speaking of choreography," Phichit's coach Celestino interrupted, "isn't that why you're here, Mr. de la Iglesia?"

 

Leo gulped. "Y-yeah. Phichit highly recommended your choreography for his and Yuuri Katsuki's programmes, and I thought I might need some help with my own?" He flushed red, trying not to look like he knew nothing about choreography in front of the most reknowned American choreographer in the area. He had come all the way to Michigan for some tips, since he had wanted to choreograph his own programme ever since he started becoming a top American skater. 

 

But recently, Leo felt burnt out. He didn't think he could do it all himself, if he couldn't even land a proper quad at a high stakes competition like Worlds. So he came to Phichit asking for any connections -- because Phichit _always_ had them all -- and the first thing Phichit had mentioned was his own coach.

 

"So what's your music? It's my understanding that this is for you and Phichit's ice show in Japan?"

 

"Yeah," Leo smiled sheepishly, as he searched through his bag and found the CD. _Still Alive_ was printed on the cover. It was one of Leo's favourite songs, and he had chosen it also because the singer's popularity in the States was finally starting to grow.

 

He wanted to tell them both about how he wanted this song to be his short programme music, too. But for now, he let the prospect of skating to _Still Alive_ in an ice show abroad drive him to work harder and harder in Michigan.

 

\--------------------------------

 

_Beijing Capital International Airport, Beijing, China_

_Mid-July_

"Your passport and boarding pass, please."

 

If Guang Hong could pick a moment to hesitate, to stop his hands from giving the ticket agent his identification, take his bags, and go back home to the Winter Sports Training Centre dorms, he would. So why wasn't his body obeying him?

 

He never wanted to go to Canada. His English was only mediocre at best, and he was also naturally shy. How was he supposed to fit into the rink he would be at and train his quads for two months? Who cared about the notoriety of Alain Leroy and his unique training regimens? Who cared about the fact that three world-class choreographers were based at his new rink?

 

Guang Hong knew he could get the same kind of intensive training in Beijing. But his coach and the federation had agreed to send him to Canada for the rest of the off-season, just because the facilities there were "better quality". 

 

His body refused to listen to his head, and as soon as Guang Hong found himself in his airplane seat he slumped over the armrest. Good thing it was a window seat.

 

\------------------------------------

 

_US Olympic Training Centre, Colorado Springs, Colorado_

_Three Weeks before Skate America_

 

"Leo, pick up your damn phone! The song's hurting my ears," his roommate slurred angrily.

 

"I'm sorry!"

 

Leo scrambled up from his sheets and lunged for his phone, barely reading the caller ID before picking up.

 

"Hey, Leo, it's me. The one and only--"

 

"I get it, Jean." Leo sighed. _Why was Jean-Jacques Leroy calling him in the morning?_   They weren't even _that_ close -- as much as the Canadian pretended they were.

 

"What, you're not even gonna call me JJ?"

 

"No, dude. It's six in the morning and I'm at a week long intensive." Leo sighed. 

 

"Okay, sorry, sorry. Listen, I just thought you would want to check out this thing I found, since you're the resident music lover among us." 

 

"Is it another relic from your family's gold medal collection?"

 

"No!" Leo could overhear a hyena laugh in the scratchy phone connection. "You know the Chinese guy that came to my rink to train his quads?"

 

"You post on Instagram about that kid every day, dude. Your dad does that too. Everyone I follow who lives in Canada is practically raving about him." As if Leo didn't need any more signs that the newly debuted seniors could jump higher, faster than himself.

 

"Anyways," continued Jean-Jacques, "he left behind a copy of his free skate music for me, and I'm telling you, this kid has a wild programme."

 

"Email me the thing, ok? I gotta get changed," Leo said as he hung up and threw himself back into bed.

 

Five minutes later, his phone pinged. Jean-Jacques had sent him an mp3 file titled _The Inferno_.

 

It later found itself played on loop on Leo's phone the entire day. Why wasn't this his free skate music too? It was the right combination of rapid-paced and suspenseful, with an eerie, exotic violin bridge and sound effects. Was this a movie soundtrack? Who was the Chinese skater who was going to skate to this? Would they meet at a competition? Leo hoped they would. He wanted to know all he could about this song. It was, after all, so much more appealing than the opera his coach had chosen to complement _Still Alive_. 

 

\-------------------------------------

 

_The Chicago Subway, Chicago, Illinois_

 

 Guang Hong was so, so, terribly lost.

 

His coach had given him the worst instructions to get to the Chinese restaurant in the middle of Chinatown, where he would meet with some of the other competitors in this event. But somehow, he had gotten ont he wrong train.

 

Guang Hong knew how to ask for directions in English. Time spent in Canada had surely improved his grasp of the language. But he was also shy -- how was he supposed to talk to a complete stranger in a place he didn't even know?

 

He spotted two younger men in a corner joking with each other, thinking that they looked safe enough to approach. 

 

"Um.....excuse me? Please tell me where to get back to Chinatown..." Guang Hong stuttered, eyes wide and looking unsure of what he was even saying. _Great._ His English was flaking in front of two people he just _thought_ looked nice.

 

The boy with the darker skin smiled. "Lost, right? Don't worry, we've both been around Chicago before and guess what, we're also headed for Chinatown! Just gotta take this train back three stations and switch to the bright red line, and get off at Chinatown."

 

"Thank you!" Guang Hong said as he made his way toward the platform and began to wait for the incoming train, until the other boy -- a well-built brunette with slightly long hair and a familiar looking athletic jacket -- tapped him on the shoulder.

 

"Since we're also going there too, why not come with us?"

 

\--------------------------------

 

Leo never thought he'd be running into a competitor right before a competition. And definitely not in the dark and smelly subways of Chicago.

 

The Chinese boy -- he had to be Chinese, from the way he spoke English -- was named Guang Hong Ji. Somehow, he was headed for the very same restaurant Phichit had been called to come to for a "pre competition dinner". And somehow, ten minutes later, when they found all three of their coaches at the same table waiting for them, among several others, they had figured out that they were all figure skaters, and all competing at Skate America the next day.

 

Leo tried not to appear too friendly -- he always had competition nerves during the entire week a competition was held. But Phichit was a whole other story. He tried everything: from getting Leo and Guang Hong to sit next to him, to feeding them extra spoonfuls, to taking as many selfies and pictures of the entire gathering. Always the type to make new friends -- new senior skater friends. From what Guang Hong had told them in his broken English, he was the next rising Chinese skating star to replace the legacy of Cao Bin.

 

At the hotel room later that night, after Leo had checked himself and his coach in, Leo asked his coach, "Do you mind telling me what the draw order is again? I forgot."

 

"You're in the same group as that cute Chinese boy, kiddo."

 

For some reason, his heart began to beat faster. It wouldn't be the same kind of encounter he just had off the ice, but for some reason, he really wanted to compete against him right now.

 

\-------------------------------

 

_Sears Centre, Chicago, Illinois_

 

_Men's Short Programme_

 

"You warm up is in ten minutes, so don't spend too much time alone. It's not good for the nerves."

 

Guang Hong nodded before turning for the nearest restroom. He wanted to get a good look at himself before his first senior competition of the season. 

 

He realised just how disheveled he looked only a minute after he had walked in and looked at the mirror. The Team China jacket he sported was wrinkled -- he regretted being in a rush to pack up his gear. His costume looked ridiculous underneath -- the other skaters had the most glamorous outfits, and Guang Hong's looked too exotic. It was made to complement the Chinese - sounding refrains one could hear in his short programme music, La Parfum des Fleurs, but pink and crimson combinations and scarves looked so feminine...

 

But it was too late now. He could always ask for a costume change before his second Grand Prix event, but now, all he could do was hope for the best, that the judges would not use this outrageous costume to undermine his artistry marks.

 

Guang Hong hears the roar of the crowd get louder, and shudders. He has to do well. Cao Bin had always told him how important it was that he place within podium range at the first Grand Prix event so that the pressure was less demanding in the second. 

 

But could he really do it?

 

"Guang Hong!" He heard a familiar voice call out his name, as he exited the restroom. Guang Hong turned around, wondering, hoping it was who he thought it was.

 

It was Leo de la Iglesia.

 

"Hi," Guang Hong managed to say with a tone of relief, smiling shyly. "We're in the same warmup group."

 

"I know. My coach told me that last night. Hey, by any chance, are you the kid that went to Canada over the summer to --"

 

"Leo!! We came to cheer you on!" 

 

The sudden appearance of a group of jovial US women skaters shocked them both, and Leo looked almost reluctant to leave Guang Hong behind. "I'll see you backstage after warmups, alright? I gotta catch up with the ladies," he said, and winked.

 

"O-ok," Guang Hong said.

 

Somehow, Guang Hong felt just a little bit more at ease, with Leo around. He didn't know how to explain it, but he couldn't let feelings get into the way of his skating now. Not when his senior debut was on the line.

 

\-------------------------

 

"This skater represents the United States of America. Ladies and gentlemen, a warm welcome to Leo de la Iglesia!"

 

The announcer's booming voice propelled a slightly jittery Leo across the ice, clad in shiny yellow and gold. 

 

_I can do this._

 

He was supposed to begin with a spread eagle, then pick up speed and launch into a quad toe loop. He could feel the wind ripping his muscles as he moved faster and faster, then turned and kicked the ice with his left toepick -- SLAM.

 

A fall. He'd lost about three points, four if his quad was called underrotated. 

_Gotta think quick, Leo. Only two jumps left -- what's your backup for the combination?_

 

He finishes his camel spin first, then begins to deviate from what he had practised and performed countless times. He moves his triple axel up front and lands it so cleanly, he can almost feel himself moving like a bird in flight. 

 

Then he flies into a sit spin and a step sequence he tries his best to pour his own heart into, before jumping his triple lutz-triple toe loop combination and settling into a flawless combination spin.

 

_I can feel my soul, singin' as a bird,_

_Wherever I go, God stays with me..._

 

Leo doesn't need to know what the crowd thinks. The ambience alone tells him just how much Still Alive -- his song -- resonated with them.

 

For a moment, it feels like he's done it, until he remembers he fell on his quad, and that his score landed him into third place. Chants of U-S-A soon follow. It gives Leo the strength to put his fall aside, and leave the kiss and cry.

 

Then suddenly, the sound of sweet violins surrounds him , and Leo stops to look.

 

\---------------------------

 

_Open with a double axel, then transition out into an eagle and begin building up for your quad._

 

Guang Hong tries to remember what he was told, how to properly build speed for a quad jump, but the moment his toepick hits the ice he knows it's going to be a fall. He just knows. And the fall is painful.

 

He finishes his first spin, barely managing to get the highest level. But the shock of the fall has jarred him enough. Guang Hong can barely power through the rest of the programme. He looks like a weak, bland flower, not a flower that allures and seduces the audience. When Guang Hong finishes, no one stands up for him, and the applause was only a smattering. As he steps off the ice into a comforting embrace from his coach, Guang Hong tries to hold back a tear.

 

_I failed._

 

His score places him in fifth. As the last to skate before the final group, he knows it's the worst position to end in, especially since over half of the skaters in the final group probably have quads scattered all over their programmes. 

 

Guang Hong sulks in the green room minutes later, head hung over his shoulders, when he feels a tap on his shoulder.

 

"I fell on my quad too."

 

Leo's face is the face that peers over him. Afraid that there might be cameras filming, Guang Hong sits up straight and takes Leo to a more quiet hallway.

 

"But....this my senior debut," he mumbles in return, voice shaking, and suddenly, Leo gains some understanding in his face.

 

"You know, the short programme isn't everything. Besides, there's only one guy in the last group that I know can go into the lead, and he's nothing but a quad machine. He can't entertain people like me and you can." Leo says. "When I debuted here two years ago, I did the same thing. I didn't even expect to go to the Grand Prix Final, but I expected to win here. It was sickening."

 

"But my programme...it nothing. My costume is ugly. I didn't even try --" Guang Hong continued.

 

"The free is what counts," Leo repeats. "I'm sure your free skate will be great."

 

Guang Hong tries to smile. He doesn't want to think Leo is just being nice, that Leo is just another bloodthirsty competitor like the skaters in the last group -- but right now, he reminds him of what Cao Bin used to say every time Guang Hong came from a big international competition empty handed.

 

He mumbles thank you, and doesn't realise that he spoke Chinese until Leo asks him what he just said twice.

 

\---------------------------------

_Men's Free Skate_

 

Somehow, in some way, Guang Hong and Leo are in the final group. Leo's friend from the previous two night ago, Phichit, also drew for the final group, to skate last. 

 

Leo hates his costume more than anything. It's nothing more than a blue sheer shirt and black pants. Too simplistic. Nothing to do with the subject of _Ombra mai fu_ at all. 

 

He looks at Guang Hong's and senses a warrior like vibe coming off of his costume. He sees Phichit glimmer white and pale blue as he talks with his coach and a member of the Thai federation.

 

Then he looks at himself. Fourth after the short programme, coming in as a possible favourite for not gold, but silver. Apparently his former training mate, Otabek Altin of Kazakhstan, had become a quad monster in the years since he entered the senior division and moved from Los Angeles to Toronto. Otabek was in the lead, and when Leo had congratulated him in the mixing area last night, he only gave a small smile. Since when was the man so unfriendly with his own training mate? 

 

No matter. If they were to be rivals fighting for the podium now, they were to be rivals.

 

His coach calls him to prepare for the last warmup, and Leo obliges solemnly.

 

Leo lands every jump flawlessly, and the crowd roars. Clearly, everyone wants Leo to win. For a minute, Leo is in Boston again, reliving the moments before he received his score. He tries to make it last forever, all the way into a programme he can't yet feel.

 

\---------------------------

 

There's something eerily familiar about the music Guang Hong is skating to, from what Leo is seeing as he waits for his turn. It takes a flawless quad toe loop for Leo to realise that this was The Inferno.

 

_So this was the guy Jean-Jacques was talking about!_

 

Leo made a mental note to himself to look up where the song was from. It was that good back then, and now, looking at Guang Hong, he could feel the aura of a secret assasin intimidating everyone around him, yet seducing them along the way with his innocent looks and puny size.

 

Guang Hong leaps into one of the most intricate sit spins Leo's ever seen, and Leo can feel the pressure doubling.

 

If this was US Nationals, he'd have left the boards right away, opting for the security of the green room until the skater was done. 

 

He can feel the need to skate better than this, what the NBC commentators are probably raving about on live TV as he waits for his turn, but he also thinks its one of the best senior free skates he's ever seen. That he might not be able to keep his moment of bliss lasting forever.

 

Leo lands both of his quads tonight, and he knows that he's beaten even Otabek Altin even before the Kazakh athlete has skated his programme.

 

\--------------------------

 

Guang Hong still thinks he's imagining the fact that he is standing to Leo de la Iglesia's left on the podium, bronze medal around his next. The strains of _The Star Spangled Banner_ play, Leo singing along wholeheartedly with the audience, and for a moment Guang Hong wishes he was on top, _March of the Volunteers_ playing instead.

 

But for now, bronze is enough. Guang Hong knows it's a good start. He wonders what it will be like when he competes in the Cup of China, on home ice. He knows he could be even better -- that he can take his short programme to even higher heights.

 

Leo turns to him after the anthem finishes and the pictures with the officials are taken, and asks him if he wants to do the victory lap together. Guang Hong beams, because he cannot say no. 

 

They bask in the blue light, stroking together, almost leaving Otabek Altin behind, but the silver medalist has his own fans to tend to, and when they reach the end, it's Phichit and Leo's coach who greets them.

 

Phichit snaps a picture, to Leo's consternation. "You don't just take a picture randomly like that! Gotta give us time to get ready, man!"

 

It's the second picture -- and various other selfies of Phichit with the medalists minus Otabek -- that make it onto the Instagram account @phichit+chu.

 

\------------------------------

 

"We should all exchange our numbers or Instagrams -- if we haven't gotten them already," Phichit says at the banquet a few days later. The ladies singles medalists -- all from America -- cheer in the back. "I mean, the actual amount of time we actually spend competing is less than the time we spend off the ice at these competitions, and that includes this banquet. So, I'm going to leave this suggestion out in the open -- and hopefully I'll be happy to see more than  few new friendships tonight." HE holds up his bottle of wine. "Cheers!"

 

Guang Hong tugs on Leo's shoulder moments later, having finally found the man after ten minutes of being trapped in the crowd. "Leo...I cannot drink."

 

"Oh yeah..." Leo knows full well he cannot drink either -- alcohol is for college parties, not ISU banquets -- "but I'm sure you'll get a soda or somthting. Not everything here has alcohol in it."

 

Guang Hong nods slowly, before turning to face him directly. "Can I...have your phone number? Instagram not that popular in China," he says to Leo, looking more and more flustered each time his English warps.

 

Leo practically beams. He motions for Guang Hong to give him his phone, and Guang Hong shows him how to enter a new phone number.

 

"Thanks!" Guang Hong says again, before dashing off to grab another bite of food. Leo knows he'll be back, to talk to him more in person before they both have to leave, separated for who knows how long before the next competition.

 

_The next competition...._

 

Whether Leo would see Guang Hong or Phichit at Four Continents was a long ways away, all dependent on how he did at Nationals in January. But even before that, there was the looming prospect of the Grand Prix Final -- after moving from fourth to first, Leo actually had a chance. 

 

After the banquet, Leo's phone pings with a message from an unrecognised number.

 

 **+8682346798** : Instagram: +guanghongji+

 **+8682346798** : i dont use much but i think you might want it anyway

 

Leo grins, before texting Guang Hong his own username: @leosk8ter.

 

He wonders whether they'll meet at his next Grand Prix event. He knows he'll see Phichit again, for sure. But not Guang Hong.

 

After all, Leo hadn't made a single friend other than Phichit since entering the senior division.

 

\--------------------------------

 

Every time Leo texted him at night, Guang Hong's day would always become a thousand times better. He'd tell Leo about his good practises, his off days, his family back home in Shanghai. Leo, in turn, would tell him about his siblings in his own hometown of Oakland, and his life at his rink. According to Leo, his coach seemed a lot nicer than what Guang Hong had seen in person, compared to Guang Hong's own coach. Guang Hong was also introduced to some of the female skaters Leo was close with, the ones that had won Skate America. One of them was a world medalist at the last Worlds. Leo had known her since he was a junior and she was a newly debuted senior. They were rinkmates.

 

Sometimes, every now and then, Phichit Chulanont would tag them in his Instagram posts.  Guang Hong could only access Instagram every once in a while, so Leo texted him the pictures every time Phichit posted them. This was how Guang Hong got to know Yuuri Katsuki, Phichit's closest friend and an acquaintance of Leo's. He thought Yuuri was more formidable than Phichit and Leo combined, judging from the fact that Yuuri was coached by the great Viktor Nikiforov this season.

 

A few days before the Cup of China, Leo had texted Guang Hong a picture of him at the airport in Los Angeles. "Are you going to be at the COC?" he asked.

 

Guang Hong beamed. So they were going to be at the same event again!

 

"Yes!!!!!!!" he replied.

 

\--------------------------------

 

_Beijing, China_

 

Guang Hong munched into his _jianbing_ as if it was the best thing he had ever tasted. He had hoped Leo would make it in time so that Guang Hong could show him all the great food street markets had to offer, but it was already 8:30 PM.

 

Then, he heard a familiar voice call out to him.

 

"I knew I was gonna find you here. You weren't answering my calls! You had me worried!" Leo said, as he walked up to Guang Hong. "What's that? A pancake?"

 

"It's called _jian_ _bing_ ," said Guang Hong. "It's like pancake, but salty. Like..." He peeled off a strip of the dough for Leo.

 

"It tastes like tortilla bread! This is really good, Guang Hong!"

 

Guang Hong smiled, the grease from the jianbing making his mouth shine. 

 

"So do you want to come with me to a hotpot place after you're done? Viktor and Phichit are there."

 

"Did you say Viktor? Viktor Nikiforov? I don't really eat hotpot, but I'll go!"

 

When they arrived at the restaurant and found the stall Yuuri and co. were at, both of them were petrified.

 

\------------------------------

 

_Beijing Indoor Stadium, Beijing, China_

 

_Men's Short Programme_

 

After Guang Hong finishes his short programme with a new season's best (he had finally gotten his quad toe right!), he watched the other groups from backstage.

 

Yuuri's short programme nearly blew his and everyone else's scores out of the water. It made him look so handsome and erotic that Guang Hong wished he had talked with the Japanese man more the night before, but alcohol had prevented anything civil from happening. 

 

Leo's was just as phenomenal, but Guang Hong noticed the nixed quad. Was he trying to play it safe? 

 

He asked Leo about it after the press conference. "Why'd you leave out your quad? You were working harder on it in practise!"

 

"My coach thought it was better for me if I didn't try any quads until the free skate this time. After all, I have some of the highest PCS marks in the world, and I could qualify for the Final tomorrow."

 

Guang Hong looked relieved. He didn't want to see his friend go easy on him. It was a feeling he usually only reserved for people he looked up to, like Cao Bin. But Leo was....different.

 

"Oh!" Leo suddenly said, as he noticed Yuuri emerging with his coach and Phichit. "Congratulations, Yuuri! We'll do our best tomorrow!" 

 

Yuuri merely nodded and let his coach shelter him as they made their way out of the stadium. "I wonder if he's okay?" Guang Hong asked Phichit.

 

"He's always like that if he's in a good position after the short programme. It's not....the best situation for him to talk to other skaters. I'm sorry."

 

\----------------------------------

 

_Men's Free Programme_

 

"Keep it together."

 

"Yes, Coach."

 

"All of China is behind you whether you make it or not."

 

"I know."

 

"Go out there and give your best!"

 

"Mm!"

 

But as Guang Hong leaped into four rotations right as the beat of The Inferno dropped, he could already sense that holding on his blade for a nice, clean landing was going to be hard. He nearly fell.

 

He fell twice during those four and a half minutes ot car chase-like intensity. But his will to keep showing his best somehow kept him going.

 

_How did the story of Shanghai Blade go from here?_

 

_Right. I sacrifice my life for my allies at the very end, so that the evil organisation is truly defeated._

 

He flies into his double axel and choreographic sequence, and ends the programme with a frenzied collapse, right as the final gunshot rang through the arena.

 

Fourth, season's best. Not bad, but he knew right then and there that the Final was out of the question.

 

Guang Hong stayed to watch a Swiss skater perform a seductive rhapsody, and Phichit dance to the soundtrack of The King and the Skater 2. 

 

Then Leo comes, and he can already sense the air of tension hanging above him, because the audience is so eerily quiet. Would he be okay?

 

\--------------------------------

 

Something is very, very wrong with Leo today.

 

He could tell right as he stepped on to the ice that something horrible was going to happen to him. His coach was a mind reader, honestly. Always trying to reassure him when it never really amounted to much help at this kind of a decisive moment. 

 

Nevertheless, Leo tried to take her words of encouragement to heart as he took to the ice to skate his free programme.

 

_Ombra mai fu, huh?_

 

_Why do I hear the sound of a distressed maiden crying? That isn't what the song is about!_

 

He accidentally lets his hand down on his triple axel, steps out of his triple combinations, while his 2 quads go flawless. He wonders how many points he has lost right as he begins his last spin, and barely finishes it.

 

Leo de la Iglesia, the favourite to win the first ticket to the Grand Prix Final, has fallen to sixth overall.

 

\----------------------------

 

 Outside the Capital Indoor Stadium

 

"Well...no Final for us."

 

After the medal ceremony, Leo had somehow managed to wrestle Guang Hong away from the post-competition interviews and drag him outside, where they could reflect on their free skates. 

 

"Now I have to win National. I...I think it will be very hard for me to do that, though," said Guang Hong glumly. He looked down. "Did I ever tell you how much I look up to Bin Cao?"

 

Leo shook his head. "He was special to you, wasn't he?"

 

"He was my role...role model," Guang Hong tried to enunciate the l's properly. "You know he retire, right?"

 

Leo nodded. "He was great to compete against. I never beat him, though. Always silver or bronze!" He laughed.

 

 _How could one be so carefree now, after being in such low spirits hours ago?_ Guang Hong windered.

 

Maybe it was a good thing that he and Leo could talk about their failures together. After all, Guang Hong had never opened up to a skater that was not from China before.

 

"What about your National? What are you going to do?" he asked Leo after some moments of silence.

 

Leo thinks for a moment before answering. "I'm going to give Nationals the best I've got. After all, I want to see you at Four Continents. And Worlds. And a ton of other competitions we're at." He looks embarrased to tell Guang Hong this, but Leo does not mind.

 

Guang Hong feels a weight lift off his shoulders. He knows he's found a good rival, but maybe rival isn't appropriate for Leo. 

 

It would take some more time for their relationship to grow, yes. But for now, as he and Leo waited for the post-competition commotion to end and the pairs free programme to start, Guang Hong thinks Leo could be the right person he needs to skate his best.

 

They watch the pairs free together, side by side, and in tranquil spirits/

 

\------------------------------

 


End file.
